The King's Troop Rides Out
By R.G. BENNETT
sleek
tall can
FIVE times a year a London animal once a month and every shoe policeman opens the large is made on the premises 424 shoes
every four weeks. Each double wrought iron gates in only be "pulled" by a sergeant sub- a long Marble Arch to allow a column section commanders. With
go through the of mounted.soldiers in colour- toothed comb they
hair, removing strands that ful uniforms to ride through sick out an aperation that lasts Into Hyde Park. The gather LON hours, until the tails hang
only with
the ends Ing crowd grows excited, for gracefully
ground normally only Itoyalty unes the spreading. On the parado 'archway. But on these five the guns are polished and the men In occasions they will not see the dress in their old-time uniforms to
be inspected by the unit tailor. King and Queen. The King's these days of austerity old uniforms on to newcomers Troop of the Royal Horse must be handed Artillery is the only formation and altered to fit.
Once they reach the green grass to pass through the gaten with of Hyde Park, the horses and Ilm-
ond withdrawn
the out their Sovereign. The guns bers that rumblo along behind the "blanks" are loaded. Standing in horses show the reason. They the rear, the plume-headed battery eaptain examines his modern wrist go to fire a Royal Salute.
watch, and second before the The five occasions are the King's Walc
stroke of noon yells an order. The birthday, the anniversary of his ac rat gun fires, to be followed by the cession to the throne, Queen Elizari beth's birthday, the birthday of other at ten-second intervals, Mary, the Queen Mother, and the one gun misfires another carries on,
for which purpose of the Coronation. The ton Is carried. qnniversary Job of remembering these dates falls on a staff officer in the Army's London District headquarters, In addition to
and
are
THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, —– SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1948,
If
"Fred!
Bloke here wants to know what colour you'd like your engine.”
extra ammuni-
notifying the Superin- This precaution is a relic of a tendent of the Troop at St. John's ralute fred by a battery at Dover tell Castle in honour of the German Wood barracks, he has to
he visited George V Buckingham Palaca the War Office, Kaiser when The superintendent of Hyde Park, before World War One. With usua
he counted the Ministry of Works and the Lon- Prussian thoroughness don police..
the explosions and noted there was He later complained one missing. to the King, and it was learned that one round had rolled over the clift. It is the inclination of wars to
After the salute the troops return and upset traditional ceremony,
to St. John's Wood. Most days there World War Two nearly saw the end
are rehearsals for musical drives of these saluler in London.
ved and other displays, for the King's the fight against Germany started, Ute task of firing them all on the troop is in much demand at open air functions. Throughout the country. Royal Horse Artillery. Fighting agricultural shows and exhibitions privilege of methods changed and the regiment pay
mechanised, and as it is not the seeing the beautiful horsemanship, intention to let horse-drawn guns and the Troop brings in large sums replace those drawn by machine, to the Treasury. the
War Ofter was faced with a
WLS
had
problem. Then someone remen- bered that back in 1803 the R. II. A. had formed Riding Troop at Wool- wich to touch young gunners to It had been disbanded in Early In 1917 It was revived, the King ordered its to be changed to its present
ride.
1938. and recently title one.
The next problem was to obtain the eight guns--or rather, the right ammunition. Traditionally, the
compared
highly
for the
D
CRAZY? IT
MUST BE
THE SUN!
NICE.
O you feel like a holiday on
the French Riviera?. Squeeze into my pocket Hyde Park is the only place where!
are fired. Else- we'll visit the place together. salutes of si guns where a Royal Salute is 21 guns. 13. official
By airplane it takes three only now There are
stations, half of these hours to fly from Paris to Nice, it is one of the mont overseas. At one time Britain had und
that many more, but the economy drive
astonishing experiences between the wars resulted in many being disbanded, although at public anyone could have. protest.
saluting
n. II. A. always gallops into action The people of Edinburgh were
to Field Artillery, which always trots. For this pur- pose their gun is a particularly light ome, a 13-pounder. The guns could Le obtained but the right sized am- munition was not now made. Το the gap 18-pounder guns were provided.
But recently the Royal Arsenals have been able to manu- the right "blank" facture
shells, and today the Troop has the cor- rect guns and the sorrect ammuni- tion.
the
Pembroke
the war the
One minute you are looking down at the snowdrifts and icy peaks, the next you are in world of palm trees, olives and sun-baked villas.
For the whole of that time except the last five minutes, you are flying over fields of highly offended when the battery snow. Then, suddenly, wham! was removed from Edinburgh Castle you shoot over the edge of the. and the War Ofice gave in. The Alpes Maritimes and find your-
uns were returned and it is still a saluting station. After the the self In Shangri-la. Generals were more cautious, and before removing Deck battery asked Bome Welsh officials for their views. The Welsh replied: "Remove the Euns by all means. We only look on Pembroke as an English colony, anyway!"
Some years before War Office received a demand for West Africa of Buganda With their uniforms and facings a soluling gun from Les ause the Kabuka cut to the design of a century ago,
on a salute in full- the had insisted the
through ride
Foreign of a treaty.. The modern streets, past streamlined <fuent
up the to look Olice was nskod from the curs. looking like a page
has agreement and a clause was found history book which somehow got inserted in a modern novel. The to this effect. The gun was hastily Londoner stares at the gold braid despatched. and the plumed hats and listens to
A body of offelals, like the Army the neat trot of the horses and thinks of Dickens and
the early Counell, is entitled to 19 guns when The visiting a station. Mr. Churchli! is the Victorlan cra. days
he visits soldiers seem to have come from also entitled to 10 when another age and it is dimcult to those forts in his jurisdiction 10 realise that many of them were Lard Warden of the Cinque Ports, und and Mr. Shinwell, the War Minister, parahcutists, members
rem
gunners
of
Commandoc
of the exclusive Special is entitled to 17 guns when he phys Air Service which fought behind official visits to saluting stations. the German lines in the late war. Ordinarily, a soldier only receives a salute at his funeral, and then he at St. Some of the 108 horses
the rank of full John's Wood, too, have seen modern must be above war service, for many of them were colonel. captured from the Germans. They are getting used to words of com. You and I, however, only have
There in front is the Mediterranean, looking as blue as it does in the pictures; and behind, if you turn your head, is the cold, cold world you want to forget.
Between the two run the hills and valleys of the fabulous Cote d'Azur-the Const of Azure Blue.
First we will buy some sun spectacles, and then sit in one of those open-air cafes in Nice to watch the people go by.
The women are smart. but there are not so many with the New Look as you might expect, Plenty of well-shaped calvea go past, and you still may glimpse an occasional knee.
SATURDAY EXCURSION
today to the Riviera
English colony paid for it to be built more than 100 years ago. Now the jesters call it the Pro- Anglais the menade Sans Promenade Without English.
Finance
BUT
Convention City Gets Ready
By BETTY HEINEMAN (United Press Staff Correspondent)
Pmmon
ready to welcome an estimated 30,000 delegates and visitors to two U.S. national political conven- tions in three weeks this summer,
The months-long job of preparing for the Repub- Hican National Convention, scheduled to start on June 21, and its Democratic counterpart on July 12, calls for the combined efforts of thousands of persons carpenters and Congressmen, street cleaners and America's top political figures.
Convention officials predict that the biggest crowds ever to attend a national political conclave will descend on Philadelphia the week-ends precoding the openings, bringing an estimated US$10,000,000 in new money Into the city. More than $2,000,000 is being spent to get everything ready.
་ར་ ་
TO BE TELEVISED
In addition to the 16,000 persons who will be able to watch the proceedings in Convention Hall, site of both conventions, up to 20,000 visitors will be accommodated in television booths set up in the Commercial Muscum Millions of Americans in adjoining the auditorium. their own homes are expected to follow the conventions on television and radio,
Political conventions are an old story to Philadelphia. Four presidents were nominated here--Zachary Taylor In 1840 Ulysses S. Grant in 1872; William McKinley in
Two un 1000, and Franklin D. Roosevelt In 1036, successful candidates for the presidency also were nominated by the Repubileans-John C. Fremont in 1850 and Wendell Willicia in 1940,
BERNARD WICKSTEED
flios to a spot whero ovon the jazz is hot enough to molt snow
hand at breaking the bank at Monte Carlo.
Luxuries LUCKILY for me, or the bank, I did not proceed very long because they would not let me smoke my pipe. You can bust the bank with a cigar in your mouth or even a cigarette, but not a pipe.,
В
M
leading such
A short while life.
food ago the Government sent inspector to a village near here to The clean up some local racket. villagers thought this was going too aff. Make rules if you like, but don't try to enforce them.
Το
Preparations for the 1040 shows sinried seven months ago when a housing committee for each party began arranging sleeping accommo- dations for the 2,088 Republican delegates and alternates and 2,460 Democratic delegates and alternates.
NOT ENOUGH ROOMS
In addition, space has been allo- cated to candidates and their par- ties. Congressmen, Senators, poll tient bigwigs and other important. visitors. The record large crowd to be provided for places a strain on the 8,000 first class and 1,500 mo- dlum class hotel rooms available for visitors.
With more applications. received already than there are hotel rooms available, residents of the city are asked to offer 3,000 more. rooms in
and private homes
apartments. Every bit of space, including vacant college dormitories, is being pressed into service.
The task of providing for 'nows coverage is the largest ever under-
More than .. taken in a convention. 1,500 applications for space are being received from press, radio, television and motion picture people,
BIGGEST NEWS GATHERING
That is three times as extensive as in other years and is believed to mark the largest gathering of news people ever to assemble.in one spot.
While the housing job is the biggest one facing convention offi- from cials, there are countless other do- falls surrounding the democratie process of nomlanting a Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate.
show that they meant what they said, they Fut the inspector in a cage and carried him
door to door so that everyone' could see what the world was coming to.
Festival
The great event in Nice the week I was
Tickets, badges, credentials, enter- lainment, news coverage, decorn- tions and programmes all must be arranged for by special party com-- mittees.
there was the interna- In addition to overnight guests. tional Festival ལ་ Jazz hundreds of visitors are expected to
Festival du
du Jazz
Jazz commute from New York, Washing-
The
the
At
here.
biggest and
ton and other eastern cities to attend Both conven- most
kind glorious thing of its
part of the sessions. America. ever held outside
tions are, expected to last at least least, that to what they say
five days, but GOP party officials Fletures of all the of players were believe their meeting may well run published several times over, -~-~-~-~-~-
If cost Nice about 6,000,000 francs, over into the second-week. or £10,000 to stage the festival, and of that Louis Armstrong "et Hot Five" got a million.
son
The British Jazz players did not get anything except their expenses, but they were so glad to be here that they did not seem to mind.
I am afraid Jazz is not one of
had'
is £
fun
them here. I talked to a brace of, quarter of the price, but a great accent is on the second syllable
Lukas times as much.
JESTS AND
FEELERS
Nowadays, people marry in hoste and repeat at leisure,
people Once there were things couldn't talk about, but now they can't talk about anything else.
are bookmakers, paying their third' necessity like soap costs Beven Mowgll" Jaspin, "Lucky" Thomp-7 stumbling but encouraging start to-
mand in the English language.
guns fired in our honour when wo
The place where we and unless These animals, with their smooth: go into the battlefeld, coats, take a lot of attention. The they are our own, we usually wish sitting is called the Promenade des Anglais, because the stall sergeant farrier reshods every they would remain silent.
AMBUSHED BY ARABS
Fleet Street Reporter Eric Grey rode on April 20 in the forefront of the biggest Jewish convoy since the Arab blockade of Jerusalem was broken. The convoy of £60 trucks was carrying jond to the Holy City's 100,000 Jews on the highway from the sea.
The convoy was ambushed, More than 1,000 Arabs
attacked,
By ERIC GREY
and vegetables. And they WAS riding immediately meat, behind David Ben Gurion, drove in heavily armoured escort
vehicles. head of the now Jewish shadow government, when the Arabs opened fire.
The Arabs began balile as the convoy was entering Bab El Ward. six-mile gorge throughi ù narrow which the road winds up from the onstal plain into the hills of Judea,
tainside.
over everything they had. The Arabs held their hidden positions on both sides of the gorge and beyond in the plain.
At nightfall the Arabs retreated and the Jews brought the bulk of the convoy into Jerusalem,
vehicles Most of the damaged were towed in. 5lx, which could
the Jews not be moved, themselves.
burned
visit in 12 months. They make book here, paying their ox- penses with the stake money they collect. Then they pay out the customers' winnings, if any, in England.
You can go to a score of restaurants and order a Buck-
•
this isn't
the subjects I have ever By our standards, the na- anding out about, but followers may quite true. In spite tives of this Shangri-la are like to know the names of a few of of the currency re completely crazy. They will the players.
thero Besides Louls Armstrong, gulations there are sell you luxuries like costume
Milton "Mezz" Mezzrow—the still quite a few of jewellery or perfume at
AP correspondent John Roderick наув that China has begun n "Cheese" Burckardt,
wards democracy." Probably drunk the Wilie son, Baby Dodds, and
with joy. Lion.
night They played madly every
Only a woman can rove over a the climax on Saturday night, which are empty. ing pig or juicy milk-fed lamb, from nine to one a.m. working up to pair of nylon stockings when they but you cannot_De.
the posters called the greatest gala £12 Tickets were
n country Household hint from Mondays or Thursdays and of all time."
cach, and they were all sold out a paper: "Ink can be more easily re- tablecloths be- moved from white month before. This
butter is 138. 4d. a l arrangement
Like Marie Antoinette, the everybody but the Treasury.
Would you pay £12 to hear 51 fore it is spilled than after." The bookies get their holidays natives shrug their shoulders jazz players at it from 10 p.m. until
what "Do you ever work?" asked the in the sun, and the Frenchmen at this, and say: "What's the dawn? I wouldn't, but it is
matter with cake? There's you would expect in a place like Judge.
"Oh, now and then," replied the I suppose it is the aun that And so there this. plenty of that."
does it. get their sterling.
The other Britons here do is, with inches of icing and
Of course, the sun does not shine
tima
Wo had here all the not look like bookmakers, 30 cream on top.
There they must have some other way
is to bo battle of cloudy day that week and the in- and thou habitants complained about it more flowers In the town,
than we do at homo in of financing themselves.
sands of rose and carnations will be
suits
foods,
zard
of the staple
besides me as
·
"What do you do?".
habo,
A
"Oh, this and that." "Where?"
"Here and there."
#
"Throw him in the cooler," said
the hobo, "when
а
the judge.
"Hey," walled
will I get out."
late.
"Oh, sooner or later," replied the Judge.
A fow of them do it by crushed under foot, but, you cannot pays" said the Frenchman we waited in the gambling at the casinos, but it buy spaghetti, one is not a reliable method, as
As you can imagine, regulations wind for a tram that was And when they counted the roll found myself when I tried my and controls mean ittle to people "What a place!"
By DENNIS WHEATLEY
the Jews had six killed and 24 wounded. Arab losses known.
are
un-
of o
the
Now the Jews are engaging the lt equivalent, in numbers, British, brigade to keep Jerusalem highway open to the set. --and food.
They have seized
a number of Arab villages bordering the road and, until this convey, have held the heights commanding the Bab el Ward gorge.
But the Arabs are determined to
Jerusalem Jews.
4
There were more than 1,000 Arabs under the personal com- mand of the, Mufti's now Pales- We passed through the gorge un- harmed while the escort blazed tine general, Emile Ghouri. away at Arabs hidden among the
Resisting them were nearly grey rocks and trees of the moun- cut the highway and starve out the 1,000 soldiers of Haginah, Once through the gorge, the turned South African who South African-commander under a served with the Eighth Army back-and took charge of the battle. and took convoys through the Desort and Italian campaigns.
He rode ahead in a leep. The Haganah men perched on the trucks which carried 1,200 tonn of Bour,
The Arabs, in their first attacks, disabled 30 trucks and brought halt the convoy to a halt.
In the city, both sides are rapidly showdown. nearing a full-cente They are hurrying to complete con- eroto defence works and pillboxes.
Thu Aruba are Imown to bo massing troops in and around their sectors of the city as the British
Firing developed over a ten-mile stretch of road. The Jews sent withdraw.
PAULA
AT MY LITTLE
THERE'S A KHOCK, KNOCK, KNOCKIW
WOODEN HEART
1 21
'CAUSE I'VE MET A-..
The playback sings the song the star has recorded while the "Doll" mouths the words.
--- LITTLE
TIN SOLDIER.
WONDERFUL TIMING ISHT IT? YOU'D
SWEAR RUTA VANE
WAS ACTUALLY SINGING THOSE WORDS AT THIS. MOMENT.